WFDD exceeds spring campaign goal

WFDD (88.5 FM), the public radio station licensed to Wake Forest, raised $262,902 during its spring fundraising campaign, exceeding its goal. The drive took place Thursday, April 18, through Thursday, April 25, with 2,524 listeners making donations to the station; 30% of that total were first-time gifts.

WFDD’s general manager, Tom Dollenmayer, said that meeting the goal this early in the fiscal year is an unprecedented success, and attributed the success to a number of factors, including the fact that WFDD is fortunate to have a truly dedicated and passionate audience, which has grown to twice the size it was a year ago.

On Earth Day, April 22, the stationed partnered with the National Forest Foundation to have a tree planted for every gift of $50 or higher. The trees will be planted in a single project in spring 2014 to help with a major reforestation effort. WFDD listeners generated more than 200 trees with their gifts.

According to membership manager Greg Keener, the goal for the spring campaign encompassed money received via direct mail, online giving, and telephone pledges called in during the on-air campaign. This year, the station continued its commitment to reducing the number of on-air fundraising days, with only 10 pledge drive days so far this fiscal year.

Keener credited the station’s “Sustainer” program with ensuring early success on reaching the goal. “Hundreds of our members have committed to giving automatic, ongoing monthly gifts to WFDD, resulting in substantial year-round support for the station. This allows us to plan for fewer on air pledge drive days, something our listeners tell us they really appreciate.”

In addition to the Sustainer program, WFDD also launched a text giving option this spring, and received 58 gifts by text during the on air campaign. Keener says that the text giving option is great for those who want to help, but may not be able to commit to a larger gift at the current time.

Dollenmayer joined WFDD on April 1, 2012. He said that his past year has included numerous changes and improvements to station infrastructure, increasing efficiency and reducing costs. He continued, “WFDD is well-positioned to see continued growth over the next year, allowing us to further improve our service to our entire listening area.”